"Big Lies in a Small Town" by Diane Chamberlain

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a fascinating story about a several artists--two during the depression (Anna and Jesse) and one in 2018 (Morgan Christopher).  Jesse Jameson Williams is a well-known black artist who likes helping young, struggling artists.  This is a story about mistakes and moving forward.  There are a lot of questions, the primary one being why Jesse would choose to insist that Morgan Christopher be the one to restore an old messed up mural painted by Anna Dale to be hung in his art museum by August 5, 2018, opening day.  Other questions include:  Why did Jesse have the mural? What happened to Anna Dale?  Will Morgan be able to finish the mural in time?  Why did it have to be done by August 5?  Questions are answered gradually in alternating chapters told by Anna and Morgan.  

I was drawn into this story right from the start and really got to liking the characters.  The book is sort of like reading a puzzle as the pieces begin to fall into place.  Issues addressed are racial relations, alcoholism, rape, and family secrets, friendship and recovering from past mistakes.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)     

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"Sophie Last Seen" by Marlene Adelstein

Sophie Last Seen by Marlene Adelstein is a good read about Jesse and her journey to overcome her grief caused when her 6-yr-old daughter disappeared from a store. Jesse feels like it was all her fault. Sophie, the little girl, was obsessed with birds and always wore her binoculars so she could watch them closely. She had a box full of little trinkets that crows brought to her and loved routine. She was mad at her best friend, Star, That Day she disappeared because Star had promised to go with her to the mall but then changed her mind. When Sophie disappeared, Star felt guilty too, thinking if she had gone That Day, things may have been different. Jesse never stopped looking for her daughter, even though people thought she was strange.

This is a good story that shows how differently people deal with grief and guilt. It was also a mystery figuring out what happened to Sophie. I enjoyed the information about birds that was imparted through the story as well as Saint Anthony, Jesse’s dog who became her faithful companion. I really enjoyed Jesse’s journey from being a total self-absorbed wreck to a person who thinks of others and is ready for a fresh start. (I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.) (4 stars)

Teaser from page 3:  She didn't care if people thought she was crazy.  For Jesse, who spoke to few people anymore, it was a comfort even if Sophie never actually answered back.


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"Glimpse" by Jonathan Maberry

Glimpse by Jonathan Maberry is about a woman named Rain.  She still feels guilty for giving up her baby at 16.  The boy's father died in Iraq.  One day she gets a pair of glasses from someone and thinks she sees a young boy, but no boy is found and she misses a whole day!  I think you get the idea, Rain is a mess.  As she tries to get help, she runs into many different characters. I thought this book was pretty good.  Rain was an interesting character to say the least and I loved the ending!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page 63:  My blood pressure kept going up, too, and I had all sorts of heart problems.  Arrhythmia and palpitations.  Then I was diagnosed with preeclampsia.  It was a mess.

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"My Brother's Keeper" by Donna Malana - Mystery

In My Brother's Keeper by Donna Malana, Karen hires Diane, a missing person expert, to track down her 14-yr-old daughter, Sonny, who she lost contact with while serving seven years in prison for killing her son and attempting to kill her daughter.  Karen wants to make sure Sonny is all right.  Diane tracks down Sonny and even sets up a meeting for her to meet her mother, but her mother doesn't show!

This is a dark, twisted mystery that I finished in one day.  It takes place in New Zealand and moved along quickly.  I thought this was a good mystery and felt bad for Sonny and the mother.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Teaser from page10:  'That's what I went away for.  I tried to kill my daughter.'

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"The Breakdown" by B. A. Paris (Mystery)

In The Breakdown by B. A. Paris, on a stormy night Cass passes a car off the road in the woods.  She thinks about stopping to help, but after thinking about worst case scenarios, decides to drive on.  The next day she finds out the woman is dead and that she knew her  Does she tell the police what she saw?  Can she stop blaming herself for not stopping?  Will she tell anyone?

I thought this book was very good!  The pace is well done and the story is believable.  I enjoyed this author's first book, Behind Closed Doors and this book is just as good, if not better!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

The Breakdown by B. A. Paris is full of mystery.  Cass, the main character, last sees her new friend through her car window on a dark road during a storm on her way home from a party.  Her friend's car is stopped on the side of the road but does not appear to be in need of help.  The next day though, Cass hears on the news that her friend was killed!  Then the silent phone calls start up and Cass gets freaked out.  Plus, not only is Cass upset about the murder but she notices she keeps forgetting things and is afraid she has early dementia!  

This book is a disturbing read because strange things keep happening with Cass.  I can't say too much without giving things away but it is a very good mystery.  I got into it right away and looked forward to getting back to it.  Things really picked up and got interesting in the second half, so don't give up on it!  I highly recommend this book and only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because the turning point was far-fetched and pretty unbelievable.  
(Karen's review, 4 stars)     

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"The Long Drop" by Denise Mina (Based on a True Story)

In The Long Drop by Denise Mina, William Watt's wife, daughter and sister-in-law got shot to death and William is the primary suspect.  Watt turns to Peter Manual who claims that he has information that only the killer would know, but can he be trusted?  Will Watt give Manual what he wants in exchange for the information?

This novel is actually based on a true story!  I thought it was pretty good and kept my interest to the end.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Scar Island" by Dan Gemeinhart

Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, my favorite children’s author, is about boys at Slabhenge Reformatory School for troubled boys located on an island and run with torture techniques. Jonathan is the new boy sentenced to 10 weeks which is longer than usual because of the bad thing he did. Jonathan is overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and believes he deserves to be there, unlike the others. A couple boys befriend him and eventually he even wins over the bully who bosses everyone around when all the grownups running the place meet an unfortunate death.

This book is dark but not as dark as Lord of the Flies although there are some similarities. I liked this book because of the exploration of group dynamics, the interaction and growth among the boys, and also because of the suspense. I even got to like that huge rat that Jonathan mistook for a cat. Jonathan is a great character who I admired because he was so kind and compassionate throughout the book. I would recommend this book to boys, but don’t think too many girls would enjoy it since there are no girls in it. I liked both this author’s other books better: The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, because they seemed more believable and not as dark as this one.

SPOILER ALERT – STOP NOW IF YOU INTEND TO READ THIS BOOK. I really liked the librarian and his pet rat. I thought that was a cool surprise and liked how the librarian encouraged Jonathan to take a book every time he came. I was surprised Colin didn’t stay with him when he left the others. There were a few things I felt were farfetched: (1) How all the grownups got electrocuted and died at once; (2) that the boys would put the dead bodies in the freezer where the food would be, yuck!; (3) that the first thing they did wasn’t to all join in to destroy the sinner’s sorrow torture device that they all hated; (4) I didn’t understand why Sebastian got so mad at Colin when he left since at the beginning he announce the boys to go wherever they wanted and do whatever they wanted. When Colin took some chocolates saying they were just Sebastian’s, I was surprised the other boys didn’t back him up and (5) how the majority just followed whatever Sebastian said, letting him take the lead instead of following Colin or Jonathan, who were smarter and nicer, especially at the end.
(Karen’s review, 4 stars)


Gerard read this first 1-9-17, here's his review, 4.5 stars:
In Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart, Jonathan is the new boy at Slabhenge.  It is a reform school for boys who are troubled to say the least.  Now Jonathan is there and he is happy to be there.  But soon he will have to make decisions that will affect him and his fellow boys.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book.  It has good action and the end has a good twist.  I liked this author's first two books better, The Honest Truth and Some Kind of Courage, but this one is not bad at all!

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"The Dog That Whispered" by Jim Kraus

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus centers on Wilson Steele who is a professor who likes living alone.  One day he has to take in his mother's black Lab rescue dog because of a "no pets" policy at her retirement center.  little does he know how much the dog will change his life!

I got a free copy in exchange for an honest review and was pleasantly surprised when this book was so much better than I thought it would be!  This is a people book, but the dog does play a role in it too.  I enjoyed all the characters and it has a very realistic story line.
(Gerard 6/11/16, 5+ stars)

Karen's review:

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus is a heartwarming story about Wilson, a Vietnam vet who is filled with guilt and loneliness.  His mother, Gretna Steele, is feisty and lives nearby in a retirement community.  Gretna is worried about him and has been praying for him for years, but he refuses to listen to anything she has to say about God.  When Gretna discovers she can’t keep Thurman, the black lab she adopted, she takes him to Wilson who reluctantly agrees to temporarily take care of him until she can find him a good home.  Of course, Thurman and Wilson develop a very special bond.  This is actually a talking dog who helps Wilson find peace.

This story moved along very slow but was entertaining.  It deals with guilt, family, forgiveness, pets and faith.  I liked Thurman and Gretna best!  If you like dogs, or stories about veterans, I would recommend this one. (3 stars)

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"November 9" by Colleen Hoover--a WOW Romance (We Both Liked This One!)

November 9 by Colleen Hoover I really a captivating romance novel.  From the beginning, I figured Fallon and Ben would get together but what a journey they have!  They meet when they are 18 on November 9 at a restaurant when Ben pretends to be her boyfriend, slides in next to her and joins in the conversation she is having with her father about her going to New York.  Her father is trying to discourage her from going back to acting and Ben defends her and encourages her to go for it in spite of the scars she has from being in a fire.  Ben and Fallon agree to meet again on November 9, same time, same place for the next 5 years and see where things go.  However, they also do not exchange phone numbers and block each other on all the social media sites so they cannot have any contact except on November 9. 

The witty dialogue and the alternate points of view allowing the reader to know what each of the main characters is thinking makes November 9 a very fun read!  I enjoyed the book very much and liked both Fallon and Ben, but I liked Ben better (Fallon seemed kind of slutty and mean to me).  I thought Fallon had a tendency to over react and was a bit mean at times by not giving Ben a chance to explain himself.  As I read, something seemed off with Ben which provided some mystery and the surprise twist in the book!   I was so glad that this book moved along to all their November 9 meetings rather than showed us what they were both up to all year long.  I also liked their book discussions and how the author developed and organized this novel in such a cool way.  For me, the swearing throughout was a big turn off to me and I also did not care for the premarital sex scenes and how quickly Fallon allowed Ben to paw her up.  Because of that, I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

November 9 starts off with Fallon Having an argument with her father in a restaurant. Ben over hears and takes it upon himself to enter and sit with Fallon and aid her in the discussion.  If I say anything else, it would spoil it for you.  What I can say is that this book is FANTASTIC!  In my opinion, it is Colleen Hoover's best book!  The characters of Ben and Fallon are so good!  The writing is easy to follow and flows along nicely leading to the twists and turns near the end.  WOW!  I felt a lot of emotion in this book for both Ben and Fallon.  This is absolutely a "Must Read" I highly recommend!  There is so much to discuss about this one too!
(Gerard's review 8/3/16, 5++ stars)

We also liked SLAMMED and CONFESS by Colleen Hoover.

Here is my favorite Booktuber's review of this that really got me interested in it:

So, if you read this book, who did you like better and why--Fallon or Ben?

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"Fly Away" by Kristin Hannah

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah is about how Kate's death affects her husband, her three children and her long time best friend, Tully.  When Kate dies of Cancer, her husband is overwhelmed, the 8-yr.-old boys handle their grief differently and Marah, her teenage daughter flips out and makes some really bad choices that lead to trouble.  Through memories and flashbacks the reader gets to know about Kate's and Tully's friendship.

I liked this well-written book because the characters were so vulnerable and although it dealt with grief, depression, addiction and domestic violence, it gives a person hope showing that the past is the past and we can make good choices to give us a better future.  Loved the ending!  I've enjoyed several of Kristin Hannah's books and this is no exception--I recommend it.

This book is sort of the opposite of Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson in which it was the father who was dying of Cancer and the focus was on the months before he died.  However, in Fly Away, it is the mother who dies of Cancer and the focus is on what happens to those who love her after her death.  Both have teen daughters who are main characters in the books.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)     

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Wife and Husband Differ on "I Let You Go" by Clare Mackintosh

Karen's review 5/29/30:
I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh really annoyed me.  I started it but after Part I, took a long break from it because it made no sense to me.  It turned out to be a good story in the end, but it was very confusing along the way due to the strange writing style.  It is about solving the mystery of a hit-and-run driver who killed a little boy and domestic violence.  The fact it is an International Bestseller made me expect great things but I was disappointed.

This is not a book I looked forward to getting back to; however, I did plow my through it after breaking away from it three times to read other things.  The characters were not very likeable and even Jenny, the main character, was mostly annoying because she was so stupid.  This is written in first person but was very hard to follow because it was gold from several different views and was hard sometimes to know who was doing the talking.  Most books have the name of the individual who is talking at the beginning of the chapter so the reader knows right away; unfortunately, that is not the case with this one.  I found myself having to go back and re-read things several times to figure out who was saying what.  I guess the author did that on purpose just to confuse the reader, but I did not appreciate it.

Another thing that was annoying to me was how it jumped from the present to the past and back all through the book.  I know I am in the minority on this, but it just did not appeal to me at all due to the writing style and the characters.  The only character I really liked was Patrick, the vet.  Ian was plain horrible and did not like him at all, especially when he hit his wife on their wedding day, killed her cat on purpose and kicked the dog across the room.  This book did make me angry!  Even the detectives weren't very likeable for me.

I'm sorry I couldn't be more positive, but this is not one I liked much at all.
(1 star)

Gerard Liked it:
I Let You Go by Clare Macintosh is about a young boy who was with his mom, but ran ahead to get home first. He is killed when a car hits him and keeps on going! The cops look for a clue to find who could have done that. In the meantime, the boy’s mother is desperate to leave the accident scene behind and heads for a remote cottage where she hopes no one will know her.

This story is told in two parts: the first sets the scene and the second really gets into the action. It kept my interest. The second part is very good and I was anxious to see how everything would turn out. The unexpected twist at the end sealed the deal for me! This is well worth reading and goes on sale May 3, 2016.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
(Gerard's review 4/27/16, 5 stars)

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"Disclaimer" by Renee Knight

In Disclaimer by Renee Knight, Catherine finds a novel, The Perfect Stranger, on her bed stand, realizing as she reads that it is about her and an event in her life that she does not want known.  Only one other person knew about it and that person is dead.  So who wrote it and why?  Her husband and son have the same book!

This book is good with action that kept me turning pages to a really good ending.  Here's a teaser from it for you:

I'm not interested in her acknowledgement of my pain.  It's too late for that now.

(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is the story of two roommates at a boys boarding school in New Hampshire during World War II. It’s about their rivalry, friendship, and how the boys try to stay separate from the war. Gene, the introverted intellectual who tells the story is jealous of his roommate, Phineas (Finny), a natural athlete who is outgoing and a natural leader but a poor student.

I read this book a long time ago for school and decided to re-read it now because I remember liking it. I especially liked the parts with Finny and enjoyed it again. It has some fun parts, but mostly is sad, especially what happens to Phineas.
 (Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"Vanishing Girls" by Lauren Oliver is Good But . . .

Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver tells the story of sisters, Dara and Nick.  They hang around with each other and are close until a car accident has consequences for both of them.  This novel is told by both sisters and I liked them both.  It is good and kept my interest throughout; however, would have preferred a different ending.  That being said, Vanishing Girls is very readable and I think you would enjoy it.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Old Fashioned" by Rene Gutteridge

I heard a lot about the movie so was excited to read Old Fashioned by Rene Gutteridge when I saw it at the library.  This is a love story about letting go of one's past and moving forward.  Clay and Amber very different but yet are attracted to each other.   This is a clean romance novel that shows how people can change but that no one is perfect.  Clay was really strange though, his first few dates with Amber were really unbelievable!  I enjoyed it because of the humor in it and especially liked the ending!  It's a quick read.  It has discussion questions in the back for book club use.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)  Here's the movie trailer:


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"I Was Here" by Gayle Forman

When Cody receives an email from her best friend, Meg, informing her that she is dead, Cody is shocked and decides to investigate.  What she finds frightens her and she wants to stop it!  But is she in danger?

I Was Here kept my interest and is a quick read.  I cared about Cody and wanted the best for her.  It's a good read, give it a chance!
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)  

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"Keep Quiet" by Lisa Scottoline is One We Both Liked (UPDATED)

Keep Quiet by Lisa Scottoline is a good book because the family it is about has likeable characters that I could easily identify with.  When the dad who is trying to get closer to his teenage son uses poor judgment by acting like a friend rather than a responsible parent, it starts a whirlwind of trouble.  This book is about how far parents will go to protect their loved ones and how things aren't always as bad as they may seem.  Although I liked the ending, it seemed too neat and not very believable.

I loved this book because it moved along quickly and held my interest all through.  I couldn't help but ask myself what I would do in their situation and was pleasantly surprised by the ending.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

In this novel, a father looks to have bonding time with his son, but a tragic accident brings them together like never before. This is a real page turner with very good twists and turns that I did not see coming. It goes fast and it does not take long to get hooked into it. Lisa always puts out great books and this one is no exception! Do not miss it!
(Gerard's review posted 5/30/14, 5++ stars)

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"One Moment" by Kristina McBride

One Moment by Kristina McBride captures the intricacies of teen love and friendship and the heartache of an early death of a friend.  Maggie learns that "all it takes is one moment for your entire world to turn upside down.  One wrong decision, and it's over." (p. 116)  This story is about a close group of high school juniors who knew each other since kindergarten and promised never to rat each other out.  Even within their tight group though lies betrayal, jealousy and lies.  I enjoyed this book because of the mystery involving Joey's death and the truth finally coming out.  I really liked the ending!  If you like teen romance, I recommend this.
(Karen's review)

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